DANVILLE–As the years go by, Lewisburg players might forget the final score of Friday’s District 4 Class AAA championship. They might forget some pieces they played and others they didn’t.

But they will never forget the effort they made, nor the fantastic season they had. These memories will likely only grow stronger as they get older.

Madden Patrick led a game-winning 69-yard touchdown drive, finding Carter Raup for the game-winning touchdown pass with 47.2 seconds left Friday night as Danville beat Lewisburg, 28-24 and won a fifth straight district championship. Together, the 22-2 teams generated one of the most exciting district finals in recent history, with the lead changing hands five times, including three times in the final 4 minutes and 28 seconds into the match.

Lewisburg’s Jeremiah Davis put on a show in his final game, rushing for 267 yards and three touchdowns, while surpassing 2,000 yards this season and breaking Lewisburg’s single-season records for yards (2,177), touchdowns (31) and touchdowns (29). The Dragons (10-2) did everything they could to end Danville’s reign, but the Ironmen (12-0) simply made one more play in a game filled with so many greats.

“They should have no regrets, without a doubt. They put everything forward, they gave everything. » said Lewisburg coach Eric Wicks. “It didn’t work in our favor, but ten years later they won’t see things the way they do today. They will appreciate where they were and what they did.

And they did a lot of things.

Lewisburg had one of the best seasons in program history, winning its first league title since 2010, while reaching 10 wins and the district final for the first time since that season as well. The Dragons made a four-win improvement for a second straight season and their two losses came against two teams undefeated by a combined nine points.

Danville has been the top-ranked 3A team in the state all season and will face District 3 champion Trinity next weekend at a site to be determined. In the loss, Lewisburg once again showed how strong and resilient it was in a match where both teams repeatedly came off the canvas and fought back with haymakers. There were talented players all over the pitch on both sides, but they were also just as tough.

“As I always say, they have to hold their heads high. They should be proud of themselves. They should not look down since we lost, but understand that we fought. »Wicks said. “No one expected us to be in this situation. Until now, no one expected us to lose a single game. The position we’re in and our inability to get out of it…they should be frustrated, but you can’t be depressed or upset about your season.

“We got to this point and unfortunately we didn’t make it, but I’ll never forget the work we put in to get here and how close we came to winning.” Davis said. “It’s new right now, so we’re going to look back at things where we haven’t played, but looking back on it, (Danville) is a great team. It’s a historic team that we just played against, and we played it very close.

Davis scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the first from five yards out and the next a breathtaking 77-yard sprint that gave Lewisburg a 24-21 lead with 3:42 to play. Each time, it seemed like Lewisburg was on the verge of winning the district title. However, Patrick channeled his inner Tom Brady and running back Bo Sheptock (151 yards, two touchdowns) his inner Walter Payton as Danville ran long fields and regained the title. lead.

The Ironmen responded to Davis’ second touchdown drive by driving 87 yards and going ahead 21-17 on Sheptock’s 4-yard touchdown run. Sheptock consistently gained yards after contact and made one of the most important plays of the game when his second effort gained two yards on fourth-and-1 on Lewisburg’s 22 four plays after that second Davis touchdown.

“I told them in the huddle that we’ve been working for this since the start of the offseason. I said that’s why we were doing all this work. Patrick said after throwing for 169 yards and tying Logan Leiby’s District 4 record for career touchdown passes at 95. “That’s why we arrived in the morning and stayed late. We work when others don’t rain and shine. I’m proud of everyone and how we finally came together.

Patrick is one of five quarterbacks in District 4 history to surpass 7,000 career yards and lived a quarterback’s dream again after Davis’ 77-yard score. The Ironmen took over with 31 minutes remaining and Patrick used his arms and legs to start dismantling a solid defense. Showing fantastic poise, Patrick sparked the drive with a 16-yard run on the second play and he completed 3 of 4 passes on the run with Sheptock mixing in more lethal runs.

Facing a second-and-goal from the 6, Patrick dropped back, moved to his left and spotted Carter Raup heading toward the right corner of the end zone. Despite good coverage, Patrick sent the pass where only Raup could get it and his fellow senior made an outstanding catch, maintaining possession as he fell to the ground, while giving Danville the lead, 28- 24.

“I found myself in this group with a few minutes to go and said this is what legends are made of here,” Patrick said afterward that he and his seniors went 4-for-4 during their high school careers in district championships. “It’s not getting much better. This is my last home game here as a senior for a district championship with the brothers I grew up playing with my whole life. I’m very proud of how we handled adversity.

Lewisburg probably feels the same pride. The Dragons rallied from a 14-6 halftime deficit, taking two fourth-quarter leads against a team that has routinely decimated opponents this season and outscored them 42-3 in this year’s semifinals last.

Hayes Schumacher helped change the complexion of the game with a big fourth-and-1 stop at the Danville 41-yard line on the opening possession of the third quarter. Lewisburg turned that into a 22-yard Cohen Hoover field goal before the defense came roaring back again. This time, standout linebacker Danon Alabakoff made a fabulous interception, hitting the receiver and catching a bounced pass along the way, returning it to the Danville 47-yard line.

From there, linemen Schumacher, Andrew Smith, Garret Glathar, Nate Malusis and Mateo Casale, along with tight ends Tyler Downs and Owen Fellon led the way. The line led the way on 11 straight points and Davis charged for a 5-yard score before Quin Michaels ran for a 2-point conversion that put Lewisburg ahead, 17-14.

After Danville regained the lead, Lewisburg needed just two plays to get back in front and get the fans crowding the visitors’ stands back on their feet. Davis took over from Chase Wenrich (who twice converted on fourth downs), started right before quickly cutting left and drilling a big hole up the middle.

From there, Davis turned on the jets, outrunning a rushing defense for a 77-yard score that put Lewisburg up 24-21 and on the verge of turning a dream into reality. Davis rushed for 267 yards for a second straight playoff game, finishing his postseason with 534 yards and eight touchdowns.

Time and time again, he gained yards after contact and made his penultimate high school run one of his most memorable.

“It was above all a question of training. I cut down the middle and usually I’m looking to gain another five or six yards, but it was a moment where I knew I had to do something to help my team, so I just exploded, “ Davis said. “I wasn’t looking to go down at all and I was trying to score a touchdown.”

He did it in the first quarter as well, scoring a 35-yard touchdown run that put Lewisburg ahead, 6-0. The Dragons dominated the first quarter, controlling the line and the clock and maintaining possession for 9:21. Danville, however, heated up in the second, scoring on back-to-back series as Patrick hit Cole Duffy for a 16-yard touchdown before Sheptock broke away for a 17-yard touchdown.

It looked like Danville was hitting its stride, but Lewisburg countered in the third quarter and from there, the district’s top two 3A teams went for it like Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed. Only one team could win the gold medal, but both will probably long remember this match and how hard they fought.

“Let’s just say I almost started crying while handing out the medals. You think about how young they were when they came in and the things they learned and now they’re young men and they’re about to get out and go to college and that kind of thing, “ » Wicks said when discussing the seniors who were freshmen when he became the team’s coach. “You think about their mindset and how they think now and how they thought before. It’s great for them and the team to achieve what they’ve done.

Danville 28, Lewisburg 24

Lewisburg 6 0 3 15―24

Danville 0 14 0 14―28

First trimester

L – Jeremiah Davis 35 points (blocked kick), : 49.4

Second trimester

D – Cole Duffy 16 assists from Madden Patrick (Garrett Hoffman kick), 8:39

D – Bo Shepstock 17 run (Hoffman kick), 3:11

Third trimester

L – Cohen Hoover, 22-yard field goal, 6:20

Fourth trimester

Race L – Davis 5 (Quin Michaels race), 9:19

D – Shepstock 4 run (Hoffman kick), 4:28

Run L – Davis 77 (Hoover kick), 3:42

D – Carter Raup 6 passes from Patrick (Hoffman kick), : 47.2

LD TEAM STATS

First attempts 16 20

Rushes-yards 47-290 33-211

Passing yards 45,169

Comp-Att-Int 3-7-2 18-30-1

Total yards 335,380

Fumbles-lost 0-0 0-0

Penalties-yards 1-15 6-48

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

PRECAUTION: Lewisburg, Jeremiah Davis 34-267, 3 TD; Quin Michaels 7-21; Pursue Wenrich 4-6; Sean Field 1-4; Team 1-(-8). Danville, Bo Shepstock 22-151, 2 TDs; Madden Patrick 5-41; Cameron Kiersch 2-15; Landon Kehoe 3-4.

PASS: Lewisburg, Wenrich 3-7-2, 45 yards. Danville, Patrick 18-30-1, 169 yards, 2 TDs.

RECEIVING: Lewisburg, Jaylen Walker 2-48; Owen Fellon 1-(-3). Danville, Carter Raup 8-72, TD; Cole Duffy 4-49, TD; Cameron Kiersch 2-26; Shepstock 2-1; Kole Harvey 1-11; Kehoe 1-10.

INTERCEPTIONS: Lewisburg, Danon Alabakoff. Danville, Duffy, Raup.

RECORDS: Danville 12-0. Lewisburg 10-2.